Biggest "AHA" moments!

[pcchris]

So, what were your biggest AHA moments?

[StacieB]

One of mine was that people were not saying NO TO ME< BUT to the Products and Opportunity at that moment. I take it to heart alot when people tell me know, like it is something about me that they do not like. Does that make sense?

[pcchris]

Makes total sense. I feel the same way. I take it way too personally. You must have taken the phone courage class, huh?

[StacieB]

No not that one. I think I heard that in one of my recruiting ones.

[pcchris]

Ok! Virginia Stein from HO taught the phone courage class I took, and that's where I got that one from! I thought maybe you had that one too! Anyway, she said that when the waitress asks you if you want dessert, and you say no, does she take it personally? No. That was a great big AHA for me. Never really thought about it that way.

[GourmetGirl]

I have to agree with y'all - I had always heard to not take it personal, but it was so good to hear those analogies. I also had a big aha! personally - take control of my calendar, don't let it take control of me (which it totally has been doing for the last 8 months!)

[ChefBeckyD]

My biggest "AHA" moment was in my Recruiting Stars Tell All workshop w/ Jillian Grant & Robin House. Robin made the comment: "It's not my job to look for interested people, it's my job to create interest." And then said that out of the 41 people she recruited last year, 75% were not interested when first asked!

[Geekgirl69]

My biggest "AHA" was also in Virginia Stein's phone courage when she was talking about already making the outcome of the phone call before we even pick up the phone by having unrealistic expectations.

[Di_Can_Cook]

.... lets see ....

* When my "abundant bookings" class all included ideas I'd heard before, then realized, "So why haven't I implemented all of them?

* When Doris talked about her company starting in tough economic times!

* EVERYTHING about "Be a Master Seller!" I hope others hand a presenter as good as Feriale Yan!

* The mantra from Gratitude Recruiting: "The people I'm looking for are looking for me!"

[pampcheflisa]

The biggest A-HA moment for me was during the Win/Win Host Coaching workshop and the speaker said "If you're not host coaching, then why are you even bothering to book shows". WOW!!! I mean, I am not saying that I wasn't host coaching, but I wasn't following the 3 call step guide and coaching to a certain dollare amount. It really put so many things in perspective for me. I got a lot out of every workshop I attended, but that comment has made a very lasting impression on me and will change the way I host coach from here on out!!!

[JAE]

Hungry or full. When someone says no to the opportunity their life is too full to become a consultant right now. We have to ask everyone and keep asking people a 2nd and 3rd (and more) time because they may become hungry and have room for the business. We don't want to give up and have someone else ask them when they are hungry.

[raebates]

In the midst of the Master Recruiters Tell All workshop I realized that for the last two years I've been sending a newsletter to over 100 people each month, and none of those has had a recruiting blurb. None. Not one. Duh!

I learned a lot of other great stuff, but that was an eye-opener for me.

Thankfully, I'd already had the therapy of the Gratitude Recruiting workshop, so I didn't spend a lot of time kicking myself for missed opportunities. I just made a commitment to start including info in every newsletter. :)

[EpTxGuy]

My biggest AHA moment was being told that I don't have to take every single pampered chef item that I own to every show. They suggested you take the basic kit, plus any particular items you need for your receipe. Also, take one or two "wow" products (i.e. new or featured in the catalog). You shouldn't be making 4 trips out to the car to lug everything into the house. Let the catalog do some selling. Make your job seem easy, keep the show short and you'll be amazed how much easier it is to get recruits!

[chefann]

One of my presenters went even further with that tip. She says she has new consultants on her team who don't even take the entire kit with them.

[EpTxGuy]

I was literally going out to my car 4 times! Taking all sorts of stuff I didn't even show (but had, just in case somebody asked for it) By the time I got there, set up, put stuff behind a couch to find room I was stressed, sweaty and totally unorganized. I am so downsizing my next party!

[Chefgirl2]

When someone says "I want to, but my husband won't let me." It usually means they have been burned by another Direct Selling business. Since our business is honest and a low investment all we need to do is find out the issue, give the facts and hubby is happy.

This is HUGE!!! It applies to bookings and recruiting!

[MissChef]

This is a tip, as well as an Aha moment! I was talking to a girl in the gratitude recruting workshop and she told me that she got to ride to over to the hotel with Beth Jacobs, and that she BJ reccomends doing the full service checkout in reverse! Start with the recipe, because it's basically a guarateed "yes", which gives you more confidence to ask the other questions. My aha moment is that I hate it when I feel that people think I only want to recruit and book shows, which yes I do want to do these things but that is not all I want, I want to provide customer service too and I feel that giving away recipes first, well, it doesn't feel aggressive and allows them and me to relax about it.
Another huge thing for me was in that same class, when she made us close our eyes and envision discussions with 3 main people in our lives, I now can understand why I hold myself down sometimes and that I have a lot of defeating feeling because of what I've always heard from "well meaning" people in my life, and I wish people would just shut up and leave me alone and quit bringing up the past. It's hard to move forward when people hold you down and tell you how basically you dissappointed them, how I could have "wrote myself a ticket to do anything in life that I wanted and how I threw that all away by not going to college and doing more with my life! (history.... I was a 3.7-4.0 student all my life until 11th grade and all though I did good in 11th and 12th I didn't do as good, and I didn't receive the scholarship everyone was so sure I would get!)
Now I just need to figure out how to make these "well meaning" people move on and quit telling me things, or I need to learn to let it go, which is probably what I need to do, because I doubt I will change others! I am tired of feeling like I am failure when I'm not. I'm a good mother, wife and I'm one of the top sellers in my cluster. I also am a very faithful friend and am a passionate Christian, I just take everything to heart and I'm sick of being made to feel like I can't do it. Even my hubby has made a comment about that to me, and about the time he did is when I quit working so hard. He has grown to support me more and that is good but now I just need to quit letting my parents bring me down!
I just bawled in that class:cry: because it was a huge eye opener for me! Now I just pray that I can take what I learned and make it work for me and my business life, and personal life for that matter!:)

[lauraP2000]

Wow, Cathy, that is a big AHA. Good for you! Practice "self talk": reminding yourself of all your great qualities you just listed, to drown out the voices of others who have gotten you down in the past. You know your own potential better than they do.

I'm enjoying reading all the AHAs everyone is sharing - thanks!!!

[janetupnorth]

Cathy - post this where you can see and remember it. The opinion of those here on earth don't matter when you are complete in Christ. He is over every power and authority and the only person whose opinion matters.

Ignore the people dragging you down because I've found that those who say negative things are usually dragging you down because they can't work up to you! :)

Colossians 2:10 (New International Version)

...and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

[susanr613]

Hi Cathy:

I'm very happy for you that you had an epiphany and picked up a tip that works for your style. The past is the past - we can only work on the present and future.

As for me, I had two ahas. One was very simple - put your contact info on the front of the catalog. The other has to do with some goings-on in my cluster. I cleared the air with one of my cluster-mates and got a different perspective on her and some other people. It is helping me manage my expectations and giving me direction for when I have my own team.

All in all, NC was a great experience and I have already signed up for Conference Club for '09.